October 15, 2025

Learnings from Impact Leaders: outsmarting unconscious biases

We recently launched the new webinar series, “Learnings from Impact Leaders”, as part of the Dela programme, our systems change partnership co-created with IKEA Social Entrepreneurship. It’s designed to create meaningful conversations with IKEA co-workers to collectively reflect on unconscious biases. Drawing on real-world experiences from Ashoka Fellows and Dela alumni, each session builds on the long-standing collaboration that brings together social innovators and IKEA co-workers to scale up systemic, long-term, positive change.

The first episode, “Inclusion in focus”, brought together Ashoka Fellow Melissa Malzkuhn, founder of Motion Light Lab, and Tie Wang Jones, Global Head of Inclusive Design & Accessibility at IKEA. Read on to explore the main takeaways from their conversation, which offered a deep look into collaboration, learning, and the power of vulnerability in outsmarting unconscious biases.

Unpacking unconscious bias through collaboration

Melissa founded Motion Light Lab back in 2009 to promote sign language and literacy for Deaf children worldwide. Today, 97% of Deaf children still lack access to education in sign language. As a third-generation Deaf activist, Melissa is a pioneer in sign language technology, digital storytelling, and literacy innovation, whose work has been dedicated to achieving language equity for all Deaf children.

For Tie, who supported Melissa through the Dela programme as an IKEA co-worker, the experience was both humbling and transformative. As she shared, her initial hesitation stemmed from fear of “getting it wrong”. Nonetheless, by working closely with Melissa and her team, she learned that genuine curiosity, not perfection, is the key to inclusive collaboration.

One of the session’s most powerful reflections came when Tie reflected on her privilege of being able to hear, realizing how her daily life is shaped by sound and how easily this also shapes assumptions about what others “lack”. A bias she realized was carrying back when she started working hand in hand with Melissa and the Motion Light Lab team. Melissa then thanked Tie for her honesty and reminded the audience that Deaf experience is not a loss but an enrichment that offers unique ways of perceiving and connecting with the world.

During the conversation, both Melissa and Tie also highlighted how essential it was to create an environment for open dialogue. They built trust by asking questions, sharing perspectives, and acknowledging discomfort. This process led to a deeper understanding not only of accessibility but also of the assumptions that shape how we see others.

I was afraid to ask the wrong questions, but creating a safe space for curiosity and vulnerability helped us overcome that fear.”, Tie Wang Jones, IKEA’s Global Head of Inclusive Design & Accessibility.

For Tie, the experience gained through the Dela programme has: "positively influenced her role at IKEA, guiding how her team integrates accessibility and neurodiversity into digital design practices and hiring strategies."

Inclusion is an ongoing practice

During the session, both Tie and Melissa reminded participants that inclusion is less about checking boxes and more about building mutual empathy and awareness. By acknowledging biases, both conscious and unconscious, individuals and organizations can create the conditions for everyone to thrive.

Before closing, Melissa also shared how her experience throughout the Dela programme contributed to securing a $1M LEGO Foundation grant, which is helping them advance innovative play-led visual communication resources for Deaf children. Her message was clear: sign language creates connections and impact for all humanity.

Stay tuned for the upcoming highlights from the second episode of “Learnings from Impact Leaders”, a series that continues inviting us to reflect on our own biases and explore how to apply these lessons in our daily work and lives. Read more about the Dela systems change accelerator programme, and its impact here.